Hades' Dog
by Thunderbird92
Summary: Some would consider him a terrorist for working with a Pro-Human group.  Yet ironically, the agent finds himself losing his humanity as time goes on.  Eventually, the dark web of the galaxy entangles him as he finds himself fighting for more than an ideal
1. To be Hunted

***Author's Note***

Hello everyone, I just wanted to clear a few things up before we get started. I've been a member for a little while but this is the first ever story that I've written. In no way shape or form, do I consider myself a professional writer or storyteller. This is simply something I've created out of my obsession and love for the Mass Effect Universe. Most of the characters in my story will be original characters that I created, and there may be a few cameos from actual canon ME characters. I don't own any aspect of the ME series what so ever. All of those rights belong to the creators of this awesome series. Just as a fair warning, I will be going into detail in my story. This may mean that there will be lots of **violence or "gore"**. **My goal is not to push the limits or disgust anyone.** I feel that since **we're not focusing on the bad-ass and heroic Commander Shepard**, the galaxy should be seen as a much more dangerous and seedy place. So my story will hopefully be a little more human and **gritty**. There will eventually be a **romance** in this story as well, just so I'm clear why this has the romance tag. **This story is rated M for a reason!**

Since this is my first ever story, I'm welcoming any criticism and or ideas for my story. Please tell me what you'd like to see, or what you think I should've done or what I can do to make this story more enjoyable for you. I'm not a pro-writer but this story has been been going through my head for a long time, so it's time to get it out. Thank you for reading my rant, I hope I'm on my way to creating something, some of you will enjoy!

Very quickly, I would also like to thank **LanieB** for encouraging me to get my story out there, you've been an absolute angel!

**To be Hunted**

Matthew grunted in pain as he sat down on the grating, back against the Maintenance Wall, sitting directly above the above the engines. He clutched his side, feeling the crack in the armor and the blood seeping from his wound. His visor was on the fritz due to interference from the boarding ship's signal jammer. He grabbed his M-6 Carnifex and pulled the slide back, letting the spent heat cartridge fly out. He grabbed another from the side of his handgun. It was his last one..this was it... a final stand. Only six shots were all that was left to keep those bastards away from him; there was no way it was going to be enough. God only knew how many more of the attackers were left, but Matthew knew that they were frantically tearing this ship apart to get to him. An explosion violently rocked the ship, sending Matthew rolling across the floor down the corridor. The shaking stopped and all that was left was the eerie sound of the metal whining and creaking in agony.

_"What the hell just happened!"_ Matthew stated to himself as he did his best to regain his composure.

Whatever had happened, Matthew knew it was big.

Sweat began to run down his forehead and his eyes felt like they were about to pop out of his head, his hands were shakey and his breath was frantic. These were the side effects of his L3 implants, as an Adept he had to learn to deal with these things. The over exertion of his biotic abilities from the earlier fighting increased the impact of the side effects ten-fold. His side was beginning to cramp up from the warp round that was still in his body. The attackers came prepared to fight fire with fire. The warp rounds tore through biotic shields, so efficiently in fact, that they were blacklisted from military use across the galaxy...that didn't stop the attackers.

Matthew tried to stand up and gather his bearings. The task proved to be more difficult than it seemed. He was hurting...badly. Matthew doubled over with pain and coughed up blood all over the grating below him. The blood hissed and fizzled as it went through the grating and fell onto the engines down below him. The attackers had shut off the climate drive on the ship, causing the Engine Bay to heat up at an alarming rate. The attackers were trying to flush Matthew out of his hiding spot with the heat...and it was working. The red emergency lights began to turn on, as the whole bay powered down in the ship's attempt to cool itself. Matthew knew that if didn't leave the Engine Bay he would die a slow and miserable death. He had to chance it and get back to the front of the ship, despite not knowing where his attackers were. If he could get to the front of the the ship, he could activate the ship's flush doors, set the self destruct key, and launch himself away in the escape pod below the pilot's seat.

Matthew activated the HUD on his helmet and got his omni-tool ready. The HUD was scrambled and offered nothing more than garbled feedback and interference, he was going to have to rely on his own instincts. Luckily, his omni-tool booted up immediately, showing no signs of damage from the fight. This would make his escape much easier if he could make it to the front of the ship. He activated the first aid package and checked to see if he had any medi-gel left, that would at least give him some temporary relief. Even though there was very little left it would have to do. After all, it was better than nothing.

_"Okay"_ Matthew said raggedly, _"I've just got to make it to the front half of the ship...that's it Matthew, that's it; I've been through worse...right?"_ he questioned himself.

The medi-gel's pain relief began to kick in, allowing Matthew easier mobility and a clearer head. He readied his pistol and sprinted from his corner all the way down the red-lit corridor. His boots clanged against the grating below him as he sprinted and his breathing was loud and heavy. Matthew was running for his life, everything around him was blurred and he could hear every piece of equipment on his armor rattle as it was jostled around. He took a quick left at the end of the corridor and quickly but quietly ran up the stairs to the main floor of the ship.

He quickly examined his surroundings and crouched down behind a wall at the top of the stair-case. He tried to catch his breath as he peeked around the corner to look down the main floor's hallway to make sure the coast was clear. Everything was dark and all of the ship had been shut down, save for the doors and the engines. He could make out voices in the hallway. There were two of his attackers, both were male humans from what he could tell. Only one was wearing a helmet. Matthew knew what he need to do, he had to fight his way through the back half of the ship if he wanted to escape. He stood up against he wall and pulled his gun close to his chest, as he psyched himself up. Taking a few quick breaths, he rounded the corner and popped off a shot from his Carnifex. The sound was heavy and loud as the bullet escaped the chamber, the shot nailed the attacker without a helmet, blowing a good portion of his head wide open...he dropped dead immediately.

_"What the Fuck?"_ the other shouted as he readied his rifle.

Out of sheer terror and being caught off guard, the attacker unleashed a fury of shots down the hallway in the dark. The sound of the rifles rounds pinging and screeching down the hallway was almost deafening. Matthew could feel his heart begin to race again as the bullets screeched past him, and sheered off some of the wall he was hiding behind. The glow of the rounds lit up the walls of the hallway. Matthew peeked around again and fired up his biotics.

_"Looking for me you son of a bitch?"_ Matthew screamed as he unleashed a biotic freight train of energy.

It carried on down the hallway like a blue streak "thump thump thump THUMP THUMP", getting louder as it gained momentum. The attacker desperately tried to reload his rifle but fumbled and dropped the heat clip, seeing the shockwave coming towards him, he dove to the side of the hallway but it was too late. The shockwave slammed him with such force that it sent him flying towards the wall, face-first in mid dive. He screamed as he hit the wall but only for a second as the rest of his body flew above him on impact, folding him in half and making a sickening snap as his spine broke in two.

Matthew chuckled to himself. For now it seemed that he was the one that had the drop on his attackers. He would try and use this to his advantage. He moved further down the hallway, where he passed the Med Bay and the Kit Locker of the ship. Both rooms had been ransacked and all the supplies were gone. The doors had been blown open with charges and the electrical wires were popping and crackling above him; shooting sparks bounced of his armor like lively sprites. The glass from the doors crunched and snapped beneath his boots as he continued down the hallway. He eventually reached a door where the hallway narrowed and seemed to finally end. Matthew activated his omni-tool and waved it in front of the green lock, opening the heavy metal door before him. He was entering the Mid-ship area. This was where the Mess Hall was located along with bathrooms on either side of him and a Briefing Room further down, on his right. If he continued to go straight through the mess hall area, he would reach the door that lead to the front of the ship.

As he continued to walk through the mess hall, the lights suddenly shot on. The lights below his feet lit up, the side wall lights and the top lights as well. Everything was so illuminated it almost blinded Matthew. He put his hands up and grunted as he tried to squint to see.

_"So, you finally decided to come out of your hiding spot, eh?"_ Matthew quickly glanced to his right where the voice was coming from.

A heavily armed Vanguard along with four other men stepped out of the briefing room. They were all wearing similar armor with the same colors, white, black and orange.

The Vanguard's gravelly voice began again _"What's the matter Matty? You didn't think the boss was going to find out what you were planning?"_

_"I don't know what the hell you're trying to accomplish but you're making a big mistake."_ Matthew said in a low voice.

_"No, no we aren't making the mistake here, we're doing the cleaning up, you fucked up Matty, the boss is pissed and now he's sent some mean bastards after you. There's quite a bounty on your head"_

_"You have any idea who you're messing with right now?"_ Matt tried to say with as much confidence as he could muster.

The Vanguard quickly motioned with a fist and his men readied their weapons and fired up their HUDs, lighting up their helmets' glowing eyes in the process. It was a scary sight to see, especially when they all seemed to do it at the same time; that just showed the discipline of his enemies.

_"I don't care how much bullshit you spew from your deceivin' mouth Matty, you betrayed us. Did you really think the boss wasn't gonna notice what you're trying to do?"_ the Vanguard started to get angry.

_"Listen to me goddamn it! We are on the same side here, I haven't done anything more than what I was told, this is a-" _Matt tried to reason but was interrupted.

_"I've heard enough from the briefings and the dossiers Matty...the boss says goodbye. Alright boys, lets put this two timin' fish-dog down!"_

It took all but one second for one of the men to throw a concussive grenade in front of Matthew, while the rest of the men opened fire. In a desperate attempt, Matthew used a biotic throw to send the grenade back at the squad. An extremely loud bang and screeching noise followed, buckling the whole squad to their knees and, leaving some of them grasping their helmets' sound cups in pain. The Vanguard's barrier protected him from the concussive blast but the sound still rang in his ears. He yelled in pain as he unleashed a biotic shockwave that sent chairs and tables flying across the mess hall. Matthew quickly avoided the shockwave, simultaneously using a biotic pull on one of the men, putting a pistol to his head.

Without regard for their fellow teammate's well being some of the men that had recovered, opened fire on Matthew. Matthew's meat shield was instantly shredded by the tungsten rounds that ripped past him with high velocity. Blood sprayed all over his helmet's visor as he tossed the dead man on to the ground. He fired three shot at the squad while taking cover under one of the scattered metal tables. Two of the shots impacted another attacker as he slumped over against the wall bleeding out, finger still on the trigger, unleashing an uncontrolled hell-fury of rounds around the Mess Hall. It looked like the gun was controlling the dead man's arm as it screamed spewing round after round of highly lethal tungsten rounds, jumping and flailing about. A few rounds snagged two of the attackers, hitting one in the neck, spraying blood everywhere as he choked on blood with his hand covering his wound, he collapsed. The other was hit in his right arm, rendering him helpless as he hit the floor howling in pain. The dead man's rifle finally emptied itself, and started making rapid bursts of clicking noises, a sign of overheating.

Matthew quickly scanned the area from behind the dented table, the room was a mess and there were blood smears and bullet marks everywhere, along with a black streak where the grenade exploded. A smokiness still lingered in the air, along with a smell of rubber and metallic tinge wafting the area.

_"Four down, one prick to go, I gotta make these last few shots count"_ Matthew whispered to himself.

The Vanguard yelled around the corner of the briefing room _"Goddamn it...Matty you are a pain in my ass! You're gonna be begging for a bullet in the head after I get done mashing you into Volus jelly!"_

_"I gave you a chance for us to be reasonable but you were too trigger happy, you've killed yourself and your men, how do you feel now?"_ Matthew goaded.

The Vanguard let out a furious yell and turned himself into a biotic missile as he launched himself across the room blowing everything near him away and warping the walls and dead or already useless bodies around him. The man with the arm injury screamed as he was dissolved into a blue paste.

Before the Vanguard hit him, Matthew was able to throw up small biotic shield in front of his body. The impact was titanic, disintegrating everything around the two fighters that wasn't metal. Matthew had the wind knocked out of him as he was sent hurdling across the mess Mall Hall into the kitchen area, impacting the dry freezer. Matthew was barely conscious and struggled to get back up, he was pretty sure that he had a few broken ribs at the very least from his impact. If it wasn't for the shield, the Vanguard would've torn through him like a Krogan through an Asari mistress.

Before Matthew could get up the Vanguard leaped down on him, pummeling him with his biotically charged fists. The impacts were brutal as blood sprayed from Matthew's face. Matthew quickly tried to regain control as he kicked the Vanguard in the face, then attempted to put the Vanguard in a triangle choke, but the Vanguard was much stronger and picked Matthew up in a fit of rage and slammed him back down on the ground, knocking the wind out of him again.

_"Not so smart now are you, you slippery little bastard, I'm gonna make you beg as I choke the life out of you!"_

In a fit of desperation, Matthew's biotics responded to his situation. His eyes began to glow a vivid blue color along with the outline of his body. The sweat and blood on his armor and body began to steam off and his left hand began to glow as he balled it into a fist with such force that popping noises were heard. With what momentum he could get with the Vanguard trying to choke the life out of him, Matthew shifted his body enough to pull his fist back and throw as hard of a punch as he could muster to the Vanguard's face. Matthew screamed as he threw the punch as hard as he could.

The Vanguard's made a grunt before a meaty popping noise was heard as his face had imploded upon impact. There wasn't even any blood...the death was instant. Sore and battered, Matthew grunted as he lifted the dead body off of him.

_"Fuck me..."_ Matthew gasped.

He groaned in pain once more as he held his wounded side, he was hurting worse than before. He took a look around the Mess Hall only to see a sight of pure vulgarity and destruction before him...he did his best not to breath from his nose as much as possible.

_"Hel...o ...Foxtro... y...read...we are on...ay"._

_"You...py...Fo...?"_

A garbled message was coming from the suit of the Vanguard, backup was calling...there were more of the bastards on their way. The lights flickered on and off as the ship's AI sounded off overhead, in an eerily broken manner.

_**-Incooo/?$oooooo**ming...s/_+mall cru#issss****ssee$err-**_

_**-Now?www*** Boa!#rding, pleeee**ase welc";;09ome guestss*ssss**sss**ss-**_

_"Oh god no"_ Matthew's eyes widened.

His armor was beaten, his body was bruised and battered, he was running out of energy, out of ammo, and most importantly he was only one man. And If he didn't leave, he was a dead man. Gathering himself as best he could, fighting through the pain, he sprinted like never before towards the door in front of him. This was the door leading to the front of the ship, this was it, if he could make it there, he could escape.

He continued sprinting towards the door with everything he had, gasping and clenching his side. He opened the door with a wave of his omni-tool. Nothing could prepare him for the sheer terror that lie ahead. As the door opened everything that was loose around the room was quickly sucked out, as the vacuum of space pulled out everything it could get its hands on, including Matthew.

He screamed as he was being pulled out of the ship in mid sprint. The force was overwhelming as he tried to claw on the side of the door and hold on for dear life. The force immediately overpowered him as he was forced to let go. Still screaming out of fear for his life, he desperately grasped for a carbon pipe that was jutting out of the seam where the explosion took place. He told himself not to look down but it was too late...he looked. A whole planet was waiting below him, like a hungry Blue giant waiting for its prey to fall into its grasp. Matthew couldn't see anything other than blue below him. He could even see the storm cells that were active on the planet's atmosphere that would soon be his demise.

Matthew closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he held on for dear life. He managed to pull himself onto the metal ledge that he was suddenly taken off of outside the door. He turned on his suit's Space Stabilizing package on his omni-tool. Immediately, extra oxygen kicked in and mini-thrusters were now available, along with the magnetic boot field. Thankfully, the emergency oxygen was activated as soon as the suit detected the pressure change from being in space, regardless if the Stabilizing package was enabled or not.

Matthew pulled himself up onto the ledge as he gasped and rolled onto his back staring at the moon that watched patiently above the explosion-torn ship. Matthew then stood up and shook himself out as he looked across the way from mid ship,

_"So that's what all the commotion was about!"_ Matthew said, looking in disbelief.

Luckily, the front of the ship was still within jumping distance, thanks to the absence of gravity, even still, he had his mini-thrusters just in case.

_"Okay Matthew you can do this, one leap of faith, one little leap and you're home free"_ he quickly reassured himself.

Matthew closed his eyes, balled his fists, gritted his teeth and took a fast sprint on the little surface area the makeshift ledge offered, then took a giant leap.

_"Yaaahhhhhhhh!"_ Matthew couldn't help but yell from the pure adrenaline rush he was experiencing, it felt like he was cheating death.

His arms flailed in front of him as he was coming closer to wrecked edge of the ship's front section.

_**"AHHHRGH!"**_ Matthew screamed as he felt an extremely painful impact...but realized it wasn't from the impact with the ship. He was still a few meters away.

He screamed out as he felt a sickening pop and tearing in his lower torso. He felt and immediate freezing feeling and every breath felt like his lungs were being stabbed with fiery knives as the oxygen was being sucked out of them. Matthew choked helplessly on his own blood as he tried to gasp for oxygen that was quickly fading.

He looked in front of him only to see some scattered tungsten rounds just begin to impact the ship's front section entrance door. He had no idea what had happened...until he saw the lower half of his body float in front of him, the oozing blood was instantly frozen into sickles.

Matthew's painful death quickly followed...he no longer felt anything, there was no light, there was no voice, there was no flashback of his life; just the cold, excruciating, but brief embrace of death.

In a sick and ironic twist of fate, Matthew had still reached the front section of the ship. His severed and frozen, upper torso made a muffled thud against the door; his lifeless, frozen eyes looked to the ledge he had leaped from just a few seconds ago, towards his killer. And even though Matthew's lifeless corpse gazed upon the figure, the killer still remained unseen by Matthew.

The hunt was over.


	2. Thrill of the Kill

***Author's Note***

Hello again everyone, sorry I've been so late with this second chapter, I've been pretty busy. I've been doing my best to reach Level 6 at my local Temple of Renewal, which required filling a lot of Energon Pods! Anyways, just to shed a little light on this chapter, there's going to be a lot less action but more explaining as to what the hell was going on in the first chapter. Hopefully things will be a little more interesting now, as some actual story has been written. I would like anyone that reads this to please send some feedback to me. It can be for any reason, I would just like to see what everyone thinks and get some constructive criticism about what I could do better, or hell, what you may have liked about my story! I'm pretty friendly so don't be afraid to drop me a line sometime!

**Thrill of the Kill**

In space, things were almost silent, at the very least muffled. The near silence was soothing and calming, but a chilling reminder to how lonely one's life can be. Staring out into space was breathtaking, seeing planets, stars, formations and yet hearing almost nothing, just seeing. However, killing someone could also add a sense of tranquility, a sense of perverse relief for the last man standing. During the kill, however, there's usually chaos to the point where the sights, sounds and smells can seemingly overwhelm the senses. The adrenaline rush, the excitement, the mind's revelation that you were about to end someones life, it was almost too much to handle for the average person. Then it ends, almost as soon as it starts. Your body relaxes but your mind still races. It was the thrill of the kill.

The Operative's shotgun was still smoking from the shot it had fired; a shot that tore a man into two pieces. The Operative pumped the shotgun, expending the wasted heat clip, letting out a sudden release of rippling waves of heat from the inner workings of the weapon. The spent heat clip floated aimlessly out into the vast vacuum of space, reflecting the light of a massive star, briefly as the light hit the metal material of the clip.

The Operative hit the safety button on the weapon and it retracted into itself silently as he let the magnets hooked the weapon onto the back of his armor. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, going over what he had just done. He looked over to the unevenly separated front half of the ship, to admire his work. The face of his prey's frozen corpse stared back with an empty gaze.

The prey was Matthew Jenkins, former Alliance military man along with his naïve and headstrong brother. Matthew, a now _former_ Cerberus spy, was involved with intelligence gathering and recon on the Alliance Military for the Illusive Man. However, the Illusive Man had caught wind of the possibility of Jenkins leaking crucial information about Cerberus to the Alliance Military instead. This unmarked and outdated Turian vessel was the meeting spot for and information exchange between Jenkins and

Alliance agents. The information exchange would've crippled Cerberus and set them back years in their R&D departments. So, as a reaction, two hit squads were formed by the Illusive Man, and sent to the vessel to stop the exchange. The Operative was an escort on the second squad. The first squad had been decimated, and after waiting long enough with now status report, the second squad jumped into action. Unfortunately for Matthew Jenkins, the Operative had quickly caught up, following the path of destruction that everyone else left behind.

The Operative pressed his helmet to activate the com link to his squad "You guys finish setting the charges on that ship, anything important on any of the bodies should be taken for examination. I'm calling the shuttle pod for pick up."

"Roger that sir, we'll finish up in here then we'll be ready for evac, see you on the pod, out" the squad leader replied.

The shuttle pod came around to the destroyed half the ship and hovered next to the edge in front of the Operative. The door opened and he quickly jumped in, rocking the shuttle slightly. A dim blue glow covered the interior of the shuttle, along with the humming of the climate drive. A beeping noise came over his in-helmet speakers, he was receiving a message. He activated his omni-tool to answer.

A distorted voice began to speak *_**What's the status of Matthew Jenkins?**__*_

"He's dead, I killed him myself" the Operative replied hesitantly.

_***Good, I'm glad to see you can be trusted...they call you Sealgaire, correct**?*_

A slight pause of silence passed before the Operative decided to answer "Yes...I wasn't aware you even knew who I was."

_***I know everything about you Sealgaire, your name, your origin, your associates, all the missions you've ever done for Cerberus...everything. What I know best is how much of a valuable asset you are to Cerberus**__*_ the distorted voice replied.

A slight chill ran down Sealgaire's spine before he asked, "You and I have never been in contact directly, it's always been through other operatives, what's changed?"

_***I'm going to be direct Sealgaire, you've proven to be trustworthy over time, and I have been ****following your progress since the beginning, I feel it is time to let you in on an important mission***_

"Go ahead" Sealgaire replied calmly.

_***Matthew Jenkins was only the beginning of many threats to Cerberus, most we face are superficial at best, obviously this is no longer the case***_

Sealgaire let the distorted voice continue.

_***I need someone I can trust to complete this important mission...that someone is you Sealgaire, that is, if you are up to the task.***_

Before answering, Sealgaire thought carefully before speaking. Staring out the window of the shuttle, he replied, "What do you need me to do?"

_***So you are up to the task? Good, you will be dealing with extremely dangerous beings and you will be receiving no support from Cerberus itself, for the sake of cover. All information will be given to you directly from me. I need you at your best for this mission, I don't broker failure very well.***_

"Just tell me where to aim and I'll pull the trigger" Sealgaire stated.

The distorted voice replied a few seconds later, _*__**Excellent, finish your current objective and I will contact you in the near future, until I do, remember, at this time no one can be trusted. Good luck Sealgaire, This stays between you and me, the rest of the squad won't even know this conversation happened.***_

The transmission ended, leaving Sealgaire to the quiet humming of the shuttle.

The pilot came over the shuttle's intercom, *What the hell's taking those guys so long? I don't have a whole lot of fuel left in this thing; we need to leave...and soon*

Sealgaire got on his com link, "Squad leader this is Operative, what's the status on the charges?"

"There's something fucked up with all our omni-tools, they just quit working all of a sudden, if we can't get them back up we're not gonna be able to detonate these fuckers!"

Just then a message was intercepted through Sealgaire's omni-tool from an encrypted ID. He ran his fingers over the interface, opening the message, only to see a sequence of numbers and a short message.

/ 4-8-15-16-23-42/ /Take the code of silence./

"What the hell?" Sealgaire whispered.

He typed the code into his omni-tool and immediately it activated a timer on the screen, along with a constant trilling noise, indicating something had been activated. It began to count down from 15 seconds. Suddenly, Sealgaire realized what he had just done. He slammed his fist on the pilot door and yelled.

"It's time to leave this ship, NOW!"

The pilot retorted, *What the hell are you talking about, we can't just leave the whole squad behind! The boss'll have my ass!"

"Somehow I don't think he's gonna mind, we need to leave now, no more questions just go!" Sealgaire countered.

*You obviously know something I-" the pilot was cut off.

"Fuck 'em! It's time to leave, or you and I both die right here in 8 seconds, now hit the boosters and get us the hell out of here!" Sealgaire said shouted loudly.

*Jesus Christ, I don't get paid enough to get killed!* the piloted shouted as he floored the shuttle and activated the afterburners, sending Sealgaire flying back into the harnesses.

The squad leader came over the com link, obviously in shock, "Uh we got a problem, the bombs have just activated on their own! We need to immediate evac, where's the shuttle?"

Sealgaire ignored the squad leader and looked back through the port window.

"Where the fu-" the squad leader tried to scream.

Just as Sealgaire looked back, the ship exploded in a huge, blue fireball, sending shrapnel flying across the brink of space and unleashing a shock-wave that rocked the shuttle. The flash of light was almost blinding.

A screech of feedback and blood curdling screams came over the com link briefly before they were cut short, and the channel was filled with nothing but static and chilling emptiness.

*Goddamn! Did you see the size of that explosion, I swear I felt the shuttle shake...poor bastards. You better have a damn good explanation for what just happened back there!* the pilot said with a noticeably shaken tone.

"You just worry about taking us back to base in one piece...Do you understand me?" Sealgaire replied in an authoritative tone.

The pilot had no reply, he disabled the intercom and continued to fly the shuttle in silence. Sealgaire took off his helmet, running his hands through his hair as he sighed. His steely eyes looked through the port view again at the aftermath of the violent explosion. Right then at this moment, Sealgaire realized who he was really working for, and what type of man he was. The message was sent and it was clear.

He too, enjoyed the thrill of the kill.


	3. Ta bron orm

_**Tá brón orm**_

Out in the sunset kissed sky and a gentle breeze swooped down through the air and across the orange-grass. Both of the moons watching over Mindoir were just barely beginning to show their faces as the giant star was beginning to hide it self behind the seemingly endless valleys. The breeze ran itself through the hair of a young admirer, caught in the beautiful sight before him. The wind tousled his light brown hair, the sunlight added a golden tint, and the cool smells from the valley relaxed him after his long hard day on the mineral farm. This was a scene that was tough to beat, it would bringing even the most depressed soul to a mindset of awe, and bring a young soul to a halt to reinforce how carefree life could be. The young boy's piercing green eyes took watch over the spectacle before him as he admired everything from the giant sun to the smaller mammalian herd wandering through the orange-grass.

He chewed on a piece of soft bark and laid back on the grass, looking up at the stars just as the began to peek out from the sky's blanket of pinks, oranges and very light purples. He closed his eyes and let the breeze caress him and soothe his mind and soul. The sounds of the trees and animals' mating calls filled the air along with the low and distant humming of the cargo ships flying above the treetops.

Snapping branches and the sudden weight being dropped on his chest caused the boy to jerk out of his peaceful state as his eyes quickly shot open. His eyes met with those of a much darker pair, so dark he could see the reflection of his face. Then the quickly blinked and jerked back as the weight holding him down left his body. The boy sat up slightly trying to catch his bearings as he ran his hands through his short hair. The weight suddenly came crashing down on top of him. It was warm, soft and all of a sudden very wet, as it ran its tongue all across his face. The furry creature began making trilling noises and coos as it rubbed itself all over the boy.

"Ah! What the heck?" the boy struggled to say as he grabbed a hold of the creature's tail.

The boy held the creature away from him as he wiped his face dry. As he opened his eyes he could see the monkey like creature staring back at him mindlessly.

"Oh it's you Scratch...hehe, you gave me quite a scare there little guy!" the boy smirked.

The purple striped pyjak began to squirm and jerk around trying to free itself from the boy's grip.

"Hahaha, oh no you ain't getting' away that easy! I think it's time for a bath...you like those don't ya little guy?" The boy smirked.

The creature stopped struggling and looked to the boy, hands over it's eyes making high pitched grunting noises to express it's dislike.

"Man...you stink Scratch, have you been messing around in the herds again? Ma's not gonna be happy with you, you're probably gonna be sleeping outside again... in the cold, all alone, just you and those huge gasbags that float around out here."

Scratch opened his eyes as widely as he could as he stuck his tongue out at the boy and pinched his nose. The boy was taken by surprise and let go of the pyjak's long skinny tail. Scratch immediately ran a loop around the boy and began making chittering noises as it pointed at the boy, mocking him.

"Gahh! You little turd get back here, I'm gonna get you!" the boy yelled as he bolted off after the screeching pyjak.

The boy ran away from the cliff edge he was sitting on, and began sprinting down the trail after Scratch. He spat out his bark and ran as fast as he could, the wind blowing by his ears and through his hair as his bare feet kicked up the dirt behind him. The pyjak began grabbing pebbles and chucking them at the boy as he jumped over the overgrowing vines, branches and sharp rocks. One pebble tagged the boy below the belt, immediately crippling him.

"Ahhh...god...my fruits...why Scratch...why?" the boy gasped as he held on for dear life.

The pyjak began hooting and hollering as it bounced up and down shaking its naked rear end at the boy, while it poked him with a stick.

The boy regained his life force and smacked the stick away, staring the pyjak down. His eyes gazed straight into the little space monkey's soul. Scratch stared back without blinking as it moved slightly away from the boy. The boy continued to stare as the pyjak threw the stick away and began tilting it's head ever so slowly...still staring...still staring. The boy reared himself as he prepared to leap at the little pyjak. Scratch hunched over on his hands cautiously as he anticipated sudden movement from the grinning boy. The pyjak still hadn't blinked, its empty black eyes stared back at the boy...showing absolutely no intelligence what so ever. Both the male creatures began to take action, just waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Yaaaaaaah!" the boy shouted as he leaped out at Scratch.

The pyjak let out a frightened scream as it began running for its life. The boy missed the pyjak by a mile, eating a bunch of dirt as well. His clothes were now stained with grass and dirt as he began to take off after the purple striped primate. The boy finally realized where Scratch was headed and began to slow his pace. He looked around him only to see the silver, white, and grey rectangular shaped houses at both his sides. The boy stepped back looking at the houses more closely. They didn't fit in the big scheme of things on Mindoir. Especially out in the mineral valleys where he and his family lived. The clean slick, modern looking homes contrasted the surrounding nature, greatly. They didn't seem to fit, yet at the same time, they were a reminder that he was back home. The boy began to jog through his small little village-like neighborhood. His far neighbors waved as he ran by them; the boy waved back, searching for the evasive little pyjak.

"Whoa there boy watch out!" a familiar voice shouted as the boy just barely missed running into someone.

"Oh crap...Sorry I was trying to look for that little..." the boy trailed off as he looked over to see who he had just barely missed.

It was her again, the neighbor girl, the girl that made him feel all weird and tingly, the girl that made him feel silly and was obviously too good for him...that girl. She had her arms crossed as she pouted slightly, cocking an eyebrow at the boy. The boy tried not to stare at her but he couldn't help it. Her darker than olive skin, youthful face, athletic build, yellow green eyes, dark hair with a slight curl. She stood just an inch taller than him, yet she made him feel so small...so insignificant...so unworthy. She had a fake frown on her face as she cleared her throat to catch the boy's wandering eyes.

"Uh...hello, I'm not some piece of meat that you can just stare at!" she shouted at the oblivious boy.

"Huh..whuh..oh, sorry! I'm sorry I was just...well wandering off and uh...well you know..." the boy tried (and failed) to explain.

"You were just what? Trying to stare me down? Huh, is that it little man? You wanna fight or something, do you really think you could take me?" the girl mocked.

"Hey, I'm not little, you're only an inch taller than me! Besides you're just a girl...I don't get rough with girls. Ma told me it wasn't something a real man does...well except for 'special occasions'...err I never really found out what she meant by that" the boy rambled.

"Wow...you really are slight headed aren't you? Do you always have to go on on those little tangents like that? Put up your dukes...now!" The girl tried to stifle a grin as she kept her serious look.

"Wha...come on, you can't be serious Eshe, there's no way I'll fight you!"

"Hahaha don't worry, I'll go easy on you...for the sake of your manhood. You've got nothing to lose, its not like I'm gonna take your virginity or something!" Eshe teased.

The boy turned red and began running his hands through his hair, he stifled a grin.

"What's so funny chump?" Eshe said quizically.

The boy hesitated before answering "Hehehe...what if I said that I wanted y..." he was cut off

"Oh my god...I should've know you were gonna be a little perv...you're dead little man!" Eshe jumped on top of the boy.

"Hey, hey no fair I wasn't ready! Err... besides you were the one suggesting...it hehe!" the boy struggled to keep his balance as Eshe was on top of him trying to pull him down to the ground. The boy was beginning to lose his balance as he laughed.

"I got you now, you little perv!" Eshe shouted as she pulled him down to the ground. Eshe gained the upper hand as she put her hooks in and tried to go for a rear naked choke. The boy kept his chin tucked in an rolled into the attempt. This allowed him to maneuver some more and get to top position. He sat on top in full mount, realizing how awkward it was he began to blush and ease up. Eshe took advantage of the moment and bucked her hips upward, pushing the boy forward as he thew his arms forward trying to keep himself from eating the dirt. Eshe grabbed his wrist, wrapped her legs around his back, ran her left arm over and under his, grabbed her right wrist and went for a kimura.

"Owww, ow, hey no fair, my ma didn't teach me this stuff yet!" the boy laughed in pain.

Eshe struggled to keep her legs wrapped around him and keep control over his wrist "You're a baby, I swear, Scratch is a better challenge than you!"

"Oh hell no, ain't no damn space monkey better than me! You want a challenge Ms. Bossy, you got one!" the boy retorted.

Out of pure muscle and brute strength he over powered her control over his left arm. Pushing forward with his weight he freed his arm and pulled her grip away with the other. He pushed her legs down and worked his knees on her thighs to allow him to pass guard. Back in full mount, he pinned her hands down to the ground.

"Ha, I win...I told you I was good, I just have respect for girls is all." the boy chuckled as he caught his breath.

Eshe continued to struggle but knew she wasn't going anywhere. "Damn it! I can't believe this...ugh...god, it's not fair you weigh a ton, it must be all that food you eat, you fat little boy!"

"Hey...gah...quit struggling! I'm not fat, I'm just big for my age is all!"

"Yeah keep dreaming boy, just because you say it doesn't mean it's true." Eshe laughed.

"That's so not how I meant that Eshe, and you know it." the boy laughed.

The two stared at each other for a little while, both of their faces turning slightly red. "You know you can let go of me any time now." Eshe said, looking up at him.

"Oh yeah...uh sorry, I wasn't sure if you were gonna pull a fast one on me or not...hehe."

Eshe smiled deeply and stared into his eyes "Maybe I will maybe I won't, you'll have to find out the hard way."

The boy let up and pulled his arms back and began to stand back up. Before he could Eshe grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in close. She looked at him deeply and kept pulling him closer despite his nervous resistance. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side as she brought him in close. Out of natural instinct, the boy did the same.

Eshe pulled him in sharply and put her mouth to his ear and whispered slowly "I...win."

She quickly grabbed his underarms and put her foot under his torso as she rolled back and flipped him over and off of her.

The boy lay face first in the ground. "Ugh...uuuugh...damn it.. I should've know you were gonna do that...hahahaha...oww. It hurts to laugh...and exist."

"Well, you may have brute strength, but I'm definitely quicker on my feet!" Eshe smiled as she brushed the dirt off of her clothes.

The boy rolled over and Eshe held put a hand as she helped him up to his feet. The boy shook her hand and said "Boy, you girls sure are sneaky I'll give you that, and here I was thinkin' that boys were the ones that played dirty!"

Eshe chuckled as she replied "Lets just say I'm a girl that doesn't mind getting' a little dirty every now and then."

An older sounding voice called out "Eshe, your father's bringing dinner home! It's time to eat!"

"Ugh finally, dad takes forever to decide on what we're eating! Well, look you did pretty good for a little guy I'll give you that, but I think with more practice you might be a worthy adversary!" Eshe said as she playfully punched the boy in the shoulder.

"Gee...thanks Eshe, I hope to one day be as great and amazing as you. Too bad I can't make pouty lips and get my way in a fight!" the boy joked.

"Hehehe, save that for us beautiful people!" Eshe laughed as she ran her hands through his hair playfully. The boy groaned as he tried to fix it.

Look I really had fun, you're stronger than you look, maybe we can do this again tonight after dinner?'

"Uh really? Well, hell yeah that sound awesome! I'll have to warn you, once I get some food in me, I'll have lots of energy!" the boy replied

"I'm know you do..hehe. Well I better space it before I'm late to dinner. Sorry Charlie, but I gotta go, I'll see you tonight."

"Charlie? My ma calls me Charlie" the boy stated flatly.

Eshe smiled and winked at him as she gave him a peck on the cheek and ran back home.

The boy held his hand to his cheek and blushed heavily. His heart raced and he felt a surge of adrenaline. "Whoa!" he said to himself. The feeling quickly diminished as he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

"So, this is what you've been doing all day, hanging out with that Shepard girl?" a woman's voice stated.

The boy turned around quickly to see that it was his mother standing behind him, smiling. "Ah geez ma, how much did ya..."

"Just the kiss" the boy's mother replied with adoration. "She likes you a lot I can tell, according to her parents she talks about you a lot."

"Really? I...I mean, wow, I never would've guessed. She's so smart and beautiful, I mean we have the same interests in games and music and nature, but she's way outta my league ma!" the boy stated.

"Only if you really believe that she is. Be confident in who you are, you're just like your father, you have natural athleticism, scrappy good looks and natural leadership as well." his mother reminded the boy.

"Thanks ma, I guess I should be less hard on myself. I like her but I don't want to scare her off or come off as dorky or anything. After all she is two years older than me." the boy stated glumly.

"That may seem like a lot at your age but as you get older, two years is hardly anything at all. Besides she thinks your cute and I'm sure she's a little sweet on you hehehe!" his mother said pinching the boy's cheek.

"Geez, you sure know how to embarrass me even when there ain't anyone around!"

"Sweetie...that's what moms are for. That and getting you home for dinner on time; now lets get back home."

Back at home Charlie and his mother were eating dinner and watching the extranet news reports about new Alliance Military tactics and what it meant for future recruits. Charlie began to play with his food and look down at the table, completely silent as his mom sat across from him watching the news.

"Ma...what was dad like?" Charlie asked quietly

She finished chewing and put her fork down as she looked away from the news, towards her son.

Slowly she replied "Well, he was an Alliance Marine just like me. He was honorable, loyal, selfless, and he was quite the looker too. I met your father through the N7 Special Forces Program, we were both qualified to join something most Marines could only dream of at that time." she continued on.

"The training was hell and it was something I'll never forget. Men and women were trained separately, except for CQB and CQC and most practice missions. I actually met your father when I was on a mission during the Skylian Blitz. I was leading a team of Special Forces Marines through an enemy compound gathering some recon. He was a part of the team as the designated Corpsman."

"So did you guys hook up after the military or what?" Charlie asked curiously.

"When we got shore leave, I took the time to get to know my team better, rather than just go on vacation by myself. There was just something about your father than pulled me to him. He was charming and very intelligent. He always put himself in danger to save others' lives. I guess that's why he was a Corpsman after all." She replied smiling.

"Honestly, it would be hard to explain everything about your father, there's just so much I don't know what all to share. Why do you ask all of sudden?"

"I just...I just wanna know if I truly remind you of him at all. I never got to know dad...and I know he always made you happy. So, I just wanna be like him is all...make you proud and do something amazing with my life as well." Charlie said quietly.

"Ohh...Charlie, you remind me more and more of him everyday! You don't need to feel like you have to take his place sweetheart. I want you to be comfortable with who you truly are, not what you think you should be. I know that no matter what you do, you'll go on to make a big difference, it's in your blood after all." She said reassuringly.

Trying to keep his emotions hidden Charlie replied "Thanks mom...and thanks for telling me a little about dad."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for right?" she said with a smile.

Charlie finished eating and stood up from the table to clean his dishes. After doing so, he turned to his mother who was still eating her meal.

"Eshe wanted to meet me after dinner, is alright if I got out for a little bit?"

Charlie's mother chuckled, "I'm kind of surprise you wanna get your keister kicked by that girl again..but if you really wanna go play, just hurry home before it gets dark!"

"Geez ma, she didn't kick my butt, she just got lucky is all..besides I was going easy on her is all...I'll be back in an hour or two!" he replied, while turning beet red.

Charlie ran out the door with it sliding closed behind him. The dark cool air welcomed him along with the stars and the giant green tinted moon that watched over the planet. However, something else in the dark corners of the jungle was also waiting for him. As Charlie began to run to the Shepards' home he felt the brunt of a solid object smash into his face. Blood seeped out of his mouth and nose as he crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt as he landed.

"Ahhgghr!" Charlie cried out as he was picked up by his throat.

A deep alien voice began to speak "Well, what do we have here? A filthy human child...tell me child... what is your human name?"

Charlie was paralyzed with pain and fear. All he could do was stare into the glowing yellow eyes of the monster that held him. He tried to scream but made nothing but gurgling noises. He tried to take a quick glance around him, only to see more armed aliens surrounding the one that was holding him up. Charlie could hear humming getting louder and louder as the seconds went on. It was the sound of ships overhead...and lots of them.

"I said...what...is...your...name, disgusting human!" and with pure brute force the alien smashed him down into the ground, knocking the wind out of Charlie.

The alien removed his helmet and brought his face closer to the scared boy's. Charlie was able to see the ships above him stop in place as what seemed to be hundreds of armed bodies came rappeling out of them.

The alien's face took up all of Charlie's vision as he got nose to nose with the boy. Charlie's eyes grew wide with fear as he was able to see his attacker's face...he was a Batarian. The others surrounding Charlie also took off their helmets soon after and they too revealed themselves to be Batarians.

"Derran, either slit the human boy's throat and be over with it or leave it be...quit toying with it" one of the Batarians spoke up.

An explosion rocked the ground and lit up the sky, screams of humans were heard in the distance along with the sound of echoing gunfire. Tracer rounds could be seen off in the distance. The smell of explosive residue and smoke was filling Charlie's uncovered nostrils. The sounds only seemed to be getting closer and closer as the seconds passed. The boy tried to struggle under the much stronger alien. He whined and writhed in pain as his attacker laughed at his attempts to free himself.

"No, I won't kill him...not yet anyway, hand me the plasteel restraints and the blindfold...this one will make a nice slave."

"Well hurry up Derran, we need to finish raiding this side of the colonies, teams Kilo and Javelin are making their way through the woods as we sp...HUUURGH"

A cracking noise from off in the distance silenced the Batarian as the top half of his head was sheared off. Blood sprayed all over the ground and a thud was made as his body hit the ground. Derran quickly shot up off of the boy and began to hold his rifle, ready for combat. Charlie choked and gasped for breath as he was finally free. Taking advantage of the Batarians' shock, he quickly got to his feet and tried to run.

Derran screamed at the other two remaining Batarians "Get that little bastard, don't let him ru...huurgh!"

Another shot was fired, blowing a hole in his chest, instantly killing him. Tears were streaming down Charlie's cheeks as he tried to run home in blind fear. He didn't know if he was even heading the right way but he knew he had to run for his life. His breathing was heavy and his nostrils were filled with blood, it hurt to breath. Screams were filling the air along with the sounds of glass shattering and bodies being dragged across the ground. The noises were coming from all directions, even from where the Shepards lived. He feared for Eshe's life, he feared for his own, and he feared for his mother's.

"No! Help...help please god someone help!" a familiar voice screamed. He whipped around to hear where the voice was coming from, his eyes blurry with tears. He wiped his eyes only to see it was none other than Eshe's father. Charlie quickly found cover as he hid behind a rock in the edge of the woods, straight off of the dirt trail he was running on. He hid, knowing that if he tried to help he would be killed. Eshe's father was being tortured, beaten and stabbed by a squad of Batarians. Charlie peeked around the corner of the rock, only to see the man being savagely murdered. His blood curdling cries for help filled the air before he was decapitated quickly by on the Batarians...right in front of Charlies eyes. He hid his face behind the rock and tried to keep from screaming in terror from what he had just experienced.

More shots rang out as the Batarians screamed in surprise.

"Get some fucking cover, incoming shots"

"Where the hell are they coming fro...huaggh!"

Returning fire rang out, along with orders being shouted by the squad leader. After a few minutes of gunfire, finally there was a few moments of peace. Charlie, mustered up the courage to peek around the rock quickly. The Batarians where all dead, laying on the ground in a pool of their own blood. One tried to crawl towards his gun only to be shot twice more, killing him quickly.

A voice screamed out "Charlie...Charlie are you out here?" it was his mother.

"Mm..ma...is that you ma?" his voice quivered from behind the rock.

Crunching and snapping of branches could be heard as footsteps were getting closer to his poition.

"Oh thank god Charlie I found you! I thought I had lost you!" she put down her rifle and hugged her son tightly. Charlie tried not to cry, he tried to be brave, but after what he had just seen and heard, he couldn't help it.

"Hey, it's okay baby, I found you, you're gonna be fine I promise" his mother tried to reassure him but she was noticeable shaken as well.

"Look...when I say go, we're gonna get up, and run as fast as we can back home okay? Now I'm gonna lead the way but you need to stay close to me alright?"

Charlie simply nodded his head without looking her in the eyes.

"Baby, look at me...hey, do you understand what we need to do?"

Charlie looked up at her and nodded again.

"Okay, ready...GO!" she shouted loudly.

Charlie and his mother stayed in the woods and both began running as fast as they could. His mother stopped only for a brief second to scan to do a quick perimeter sweep of their current location with her rifle. Then she motioned that it was okay and they began sprinting through the woods again. Dodging branches and jumping over sharp thorns as well as rocks, everything seemed to be a dark blur as the birds and other creatures were also fleeing up in the canopies above.

The sounds of murder and destruction still filled the air, along with the hovering of Batarian slaver ships overhead.

"Whoa! Wait Charlie...wait!" she whispered to her son.

"Stay here and be absolutely quiet okay? Cover your ears."

His mother crouched low to the ground as she began moving forward quickly but quietly. Up ahead there were two Batarians covering the exit out of the woods. She held up her rifle and aimed down the scope. She patiently waited what felt like an eternity before finally one of the Batarians began to move behind the other. Aiming down the sights with extreme precision she pulled the trigger. The concussion kicked up the leaves and foliage around her as the shot ripped out of the barrel, taking both of the targets out in one shot.

"That's for Shepard...you bastards" she said to herself.

"Okay Charlie lets move quickly!" she yelled back to her son. She grabbed his hand and they ran out of the exit back onto the trail to their farm.

Their home looked virtually undisturbed as it sat right outside the lush vegetation behind it under the moonlight. Even though their home was farther out the Batarians would've raided this house long ago. Charlie's mother got on one knee and pulled the butt of her rifle to her shoulder as she scanned the perimeter for anything unusual. Charlie was visibly shaken and scared of the current situation. He was covered in perspiration and blood from running for his life through the rough, humid jungle. His mother was finished securing the perimeter and put her rifle down beside her as she turned to her son. She smiled sweetly at him as he looked up at her. Her face was slightly aged but still beautiful, her yellow green eyes were piercing, her tanned skin was quite the opposite of her son's more white complexion. She had a small scar on the side of her left eye, no doubt from her earlier years in the service. Her dark brown hair was matted against her face, covered in dirt and sweat. Yet despite the flawed beauty that she was the very embodiment of at the moment, she was a fine tuned human weapon, her resolve as a warrior was unmistakable.

"Hey sweety how are you holdin' up?" she said softly as she put a hand to Charlies bleeding cheek.

"I'm...I'm scared ma...what's happening, why are these guys trying to hurt us?" his voice was quivering.

"I don't know honey but everything is going to be okay...I promise I'm going to get help. I've got to go inside and send the emergency signal to Alliance branch that's stationed here. You've got to stay here in these bushes and hide yourself, I have to clear the house alone. I'll be right back" Charlie's mother tried to reassure him.

"No ma don't go...stay out here with me and hide, help will come, maybe someone else sent a signal who knows? Please don't leave me here alone...please.." Charlie begged his mother, tears were filling his eyes.

She grabbed something from her belt and handed it to Charlie "Here Charlie take this...it was your father's pistol, if anything happens this will protect you just remember what I taught you and you'll be fine"

Charlie had only shot a gun a few times in his life but being the son of two Alliance Military veterans the skill came naturally. However even with all the practice in the word, Charlie was no killing machine, he was just a kid. Despite the hesitation, his mother put the weapon's grip in his hands and wrapped his hand around it tightly.

"Whatever you do, if something happens and you don't feel like you can shoot...you run...run for your life and never look back you understand me?"

Charlie looked away, sobbing softly as he stared at this feet with the being held in the palms of his hands.

"Charlie look at me this is important...if I'm not back in five minutes you run and you keep running until you see help, please don't come inside, it isn't going to be safe!" She said, adding authority and volume to her voice.

Charlie stared into her eyes and nodded his head "I love you ma" he said with tears running down his cheek.

His mother held his chin up and pulled him in close. "No matter what happens Charlie, I will always love you, you're special and you're going to grow up and do amazing things. I know in my heart you'll make me and your father very proud. Never forget who you are, never quit."

She stood up trying not to show her tears as she grabbed her rifle, looking to the all too quiet home in front of her. The sounds of explosions, gunshots, fire, smoke and engines filled the air. Not a sound was being made here in this far part of the trail where her home lie. The silence was deafening, the unseen threat was dancing around her. The chances anyone had activated their distress signals in their homes was slim, most of everyone attacked was slaughtered or taken hostage before the colony even knew what hit it. She knew she may be the last hope thanks to her home's seclusion from the majority of the population. She could not fail...not now, not while everything was at stake.

She leaned over and kissed her son on the forehead softly, slowly, whispering into his ear "I love you."

Before he could even look back up his mother was gone, without a trace. Charlie stood alone, beaten physically and mentally, he was exhausted. The blood, faces, corpses, smells of death and sounds of chaos all flooded his mind at once. Eshe, his mother, everyone he had ever known had left him in a whirlwind of violence. He stared at the pistol that lay in his hand...he closed his eyes and everything around him became silence and darkness.

Sealgaire's eyes shot open as he lie in his bed, his body was still half asleep. He took in a deep breath and tried to pull himself up as he put his hand to his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes. As the sheets fell down his body he immediately felt a harsh chill come over him. He was soaked in sweat, it happened often. He ran his hands through his hair as he finally woke up completely, ready and alert. He stared at the wall as he stretched out and gathered his mind. He jumped out of bed in nothing but his boxer briefs and began walking in the darkness towards his door. The heated tile beneath his feet was a nice comfort. He touched the green biometric pad that floated in front of his door, allowing the sliding doors to open quietly with a soft beep. The hallway was empty and the cold floor came as a shock to him as he followed the soft glowing blue lights that ran down the sides. His feet were quiet as he kept walking until he took a left and waved his hand over another door. It slid open revealing an eye piercingly white restroom with a shower, toilet, sink and mirror. Sealgaire shut the door behind him and turned the sink on with a wave of his hand. The cold water began running in a nice steady flow. He splashed some on his face to clear his head. He slowly looked up at himself in the mirror. His eyes were slightly reddened and watering, his hands clenched the edges of the sink. He couldn't look at himself anymore. A few tears fell from his eyes.

He whispered.

"I'm sorry."


End file.
